The center fielder couldn’t say exactly why, after the Yankees ran Kansas City starter Runelvys Hernandez following just two-thirds of an inning, they were barely able to generate any more offense.

“It happens, that’s all,” said Damon, who started the Yankees off with a homer for the second time this season. “It’s baseball. I wish we had every answer, but it amazes you night after night.”

The Yankees wound up holding off the dreadful Royals, 6-5, to take the three-game series, but even Damon admitted the method wasn’t quite how he had envisioned it after the first four batters in the first scored.

“We made it too close,” Damon said. “We need to finish up better than we did today.”

That’s true, since the Yankees are finished playing Kansas City’s version of a Triple-A team that had lost 13 straight prior to winning in The Bronx on Friday.

“We hope to score 15 runs,” Damon said. “But we’re facing a big-league team. They haven’t won as much as they would like, but they have some good players.”

After the game, the Yankees headed out to Detroit to face the Tigers, who own the majors’ best record and really do have some good players.

But even though Damon admitted some frustration in not being able to put the Royals out of their misery until Mariano Rivera finally closed the door in the ninth, he said games like yesterday’s actually show how good the Yankees can be.

“A lot of teams have to be perfect to win,” Damon said. He didn’t refer to his former team that was in the other clubhouse by name, but it was unnecessary. The Royals have become the laughingstock of the league and are leaving GM Allard Baird hanging as they look for his replacement even as he continues to work. “We don’t have to do that.”

The Yankees are certainly not without their flaws, several of which were on display yesterday, but Damon said that the offense should get even better, now that Gary Sheffield is back in the lineup.

“Having Sheff back makes a huge difference,” Damon said. “He doesn’t even have to get a hit. Just his presence out there with a bat in his hand changes things.”

As for the 2-1 pitch Damon deposited into the right field seats – the 18th time he has led off a game in that fashion – he thought it could be a sign of things to come.

“It was good to get us going,” Damon said. “Unfortunately, we got shut down not long after that. But we won, and that makes it all right.”